Tennis ball cover cloth



Jan. 22, 1963 E. c. REED TENNIS BALL COVER CLOTH 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledMay 31, 1960 F/GI/ 2 H62 I I I .l N it...

IN VEN TOR. E ve re 11 C. Reed Arraezrers l Jan. 22, 1963 E. c. REED3,074,144

TENNIS BALL COVER CLOTH Filed May 31, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.Evemfi c. Rega Jan. 22, 1963 E. c. REED 3,074,144

TENNIS BALL COVER CLOTH Filed May 31, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.EVI'# arme/ zrg Stats frcc 3,074,144 TENNIS BALL COVER CLOTH Everett C.Reed, Schodaclr Center, N.Y., assignor to Albany Felt Company, Albany,N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed May 31, 196% Ser. No. 32,8553 6Claims. (Q3. 23-79 This invention relates generally to tennis ballcovering cloth, and more particularly to a method and means formanufacturing tennis ball covering cloth.

A tennis ball consists generally of a spherical rubber core covered witha cloth having a felted surface. The surface of the cloth offers windresistance in fiight, and frictional contact with a tennis racket in thehands of a contestant, so that the path of the ball can be controlled.Without this control the game cannot be played satisfactorily.

The practical value of a tennis ball cover depends upon its ability toretain its surface as long as possible under conditions of play. Tennisball cover cloth has been traditionally a woven fabric, largely composedof wool or wool and synthetic fibers. At the present time a tennis ballcover cloth is produced by weaving a fabric of wool or wool and otherfibers, natural or synthetic, and raising a nap on the surface by somemechanical means, and later felting down this nap to produce the desiredsurface. In play, when this surface is worn away, the ball cannot becontrolled and it is considered worn out.

My invention consists of the preparation of a fabric which has thenecessary characteristics so that it will be firm enough to give thecover stability during the manufacture of the ball, with a smooth insidesurface to allow good adhesion to the rubber core of the ball, and to beof such quality that it will accept the application or formation of aproper playing surface applied to it.

Such a cover is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGS. 1 through 4 show transverse cross sections of the cloth in varioussteps in its preparation in accordance with one form of my invention;

FIG. 5 shows a fragmentary enlarged section of a tennis ball coveredwith a cloth prepared in accordance with the preferred embodiment of myinvention which has been illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4;

H65. 6 through 8 show transverse cross sections of the cloth prepared inaccordance with an alternate form of my invention;

FIG. 9 shows a fragmentary enlarged section of a tennis ball coveredwith a cloth prepared in accordance with the alternate form of myinvention which has been illustrated in FIGS. 6 to 8;

FIGS. 10 through 12 show still another embodiment of my inventionwherein transverse cross sections of the cloth prepared in accordancewith this embodiment are illustrated; and

FIG. 13 shows a fragmentary enlarge section of a tennis ball coveredwith a cloth prepared in accordance with the embodiment of my inventionillustrated in FIGS. 10 through 12.

FIGS. 1 through 13 are to a somewhat distorted and enlarged scale.

It is to be understood that the drawings are merely illustrative of onetype of weave which has proven satisfactory, and that the invention isnot limited to the type of weave shown.

Considering the first form of the invention, that shown in FIGS. 1through 5. The fabric is designated generally by the numeral 20, thewarp yarns by the numeral 21, and the filler yarns are designated by thenumeral 22. The

rubber core of the ball has been designated by the numeral 26 and anadhesive, such as glue or cement, which is used to secure the coveringfabric to the casing is designated by the numeral 25.

To prepare the fabric, which is illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5, a basefabric 20 is selected which when woven will be firm enough to give thecover stability and which has a smooth enough surface to allow goodadhesion to the rubber core of the ball. The fabric selected must alsoaccept the application or formation of proper playing surfaces. Ipropose to use a base fabric consisting of warp and filler yarns.

Although this invention is not limited to a specific type of fabric,successful results have been obtained utilizing as base fabric wool;wool and synthetics and cotton; wool and cotton; wool and synthetics;cotton and synthetics; or all synthetics.

After the base fabric has been selected the surface is prepared byraising fibers from the fabric by any mechanical means known to the artsuch as by napping so that the fibers which are designated generally bythe numeral 23 in FIG. 2 extend from the fabric on one side.

The next step is the preparation of a batt of fiber which is compositeof wool and other fibers, all wool or some other fiberor fibers to meetindividual specifications. The batt of fiber designated generally by thenumeral 24 in FIG. 3 is combined with the base 20 by needling usingmeans well known in the art. FIG. 3 illustrates the step in theprocedure immel'iately preceding the needling operation, at d FIG. 4illu Hates the condition of the fabric after the needling ope1ation.

After needing, the corr posite fabric can be felted as for example bythe usual woolen finishing procedures such as by fulling, if it isdesirable. Successful results have been obtained Without the fulling orfelting step, however, whether or not such step is utilized in thepreparation of the tennis ball cover cloth according to my inventiondepends upon the desired finish, and therefore the step will be utilizedor not utilized depending upon the type of finish desired. Also thefabric may be fulled before the napping and/or needling process or maybe partially fulled before and partially after the napping and/ orneedling process.

The back portion of the fabric can then be sheared if desired so that itwill adhere more readily to the rubber ball core. This step is notnecessary for success in practicing this invention, however, it may befound desirable.

The fabric 2t} as shown in FIG. 5 is then secured to the core 26 of theball by means of the glue or cement indicated by the numeral 25.

An alternate or second form of this invention is illustrated in FIGS. 6through 9 in which the fabric is designated generally by the numeralStir, the warp yarns by the numeral 31 and the filler yarns by thenumeral 32.

in this embodiment the base fabric 3b is selected in the same manner aswas the base fabric 29 in the first form of the invention. A batt offiber is prepared as in the first form of the invention, however, inthis embodiment the batt of fiber is applied to the base fabric as shownin PEG. 7 where it is designated generally by the numeral 34 andcombined with the base 3t! by needling without the intervening nappingstep. FIG. 7 illustrates the batt prior to needling. FIG. 8 illustratesthe batt and fabric after needling.

Just as in the first form of the invention, the fabric can be felted orfulled if desired and the back of it can be sheared if desired.

FIG. 9 illustrates the cloth prepared in accordance with the secondembodiment of my invention glued by means of glue 35 to rubber core 36of the ball.

Thus, it is seen that the second form of this invention '3 illustratedin FIGS. -6 through 9 is identical to the first form of the inventionwith the exception that herein the batt of fiber 34 is applied to thebase fabric without napping.

A third form of this invention is shown in FIGS. 10 through 13 in whichthe basefabric is-designated by the numeral 40, the warp yarns aredesignated by the numeral-41 and the filler yarns-by the numeral 42. Inthis form of the invention fabric 40 is selected in the same manner asthe base fabrics are selected in the first two embodiments of theinvention. The base fabric after selection is subject to a nappingprocess to develop the trap 43 shown in FIG. '11, and then subjected toa needling process to arrive at a-fabric such as illustrated in FIG. 12.

This embodiment differs fromthe first embodiment in that there isno'utilization ofa batt of fiber and the base fabri'c'is subjected-tothe needling procedure without the addition of this fiber batt. Just asin the first and second forms of the invention, thefabric can be feltedor fulled if desired and the back of it can be sheared, if desired. FIG.13 illustrates a cloth prepared in accordance with the third form ofthis invention glued or cemented by means of' glue 45 to the rubber core46 of a tennis ball.

In order to accurately describe the end product and the resulting holdof the needled fiber where it is engaged by the base fabric, the termlocked in can be used indicating a force fit as distinguished fromengagement due to "cementing or resulting from the fiber being part ofthe base fabric.

l't has been found that the tennis ball cover cloth prepared inaccordance with the teachings of this invention can readily be appliedto the surface of the rubber core 'of a-tennis ball and has awearing'surface which maintains the characteristics desirable for playover long periods of time.

Thus, among others, the several objects in the invention as specificallyaforenoted, are achieved. Obviously, numerous changes'in constructionand rearrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from thespirit of the invention as defined -by the claims.

I claim:

1. A tennis ball covering cloth comprising a single ply of woven basefabric whose warp and filler yarns are selected from the groupconsisting of: wool yarns; synthetic yarns; wool, synthetic and cottonyarns; wool and cotton yarns; and synthetic and cotton yarns; saidsingle ply fabric being tightly woven and providing thereby on one sideof the fabric a smooth closely woven surface which is adapted to adhereclosely to the rubber core of the tennis ball and constitutes the insidesurface of said covering cloth on the ball, the other surface of saidsingle ply woven fabric being napped, needled and thereafter fulled andfirmly matted, said firmly matted outer surface of said single ply wovenfabric being resistant to wear and having a dense nap.

2. A tennis ball covering'cloth as claimed in claim 1 wherein saidsingle ply is-formed of wool.

3. A tennis ball covering-clothes claimed in claim 1 wherein said singleply is formed .of synthetic.

-4. A tennis ball covering cloth as claimed in claim 1 wherein saidsingle ply is formed of synthetic and cotton.

5. A tennis'ball covering cloth as claimed in claim 1 wherein saidsingle ply is formed of wool and cotton.

6. A tennis ball covering cloth as claimed in claim 1 wherein saidsingle ply is formed of wool, synthetic and cotton.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS494,759 Land-graf Apr. 4, 1893 1,825,827 Smith Oct. 6, 1931 2,115,581Johnson Apr. 26, 1938 2,109,223 Schmidt Feb. 22, 1938 2,581,790 GatesJan. 8, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 801,441 Great Britain May 6, 1957 891,439Great Britain Apr. 29, 1958

1. A TENNIS BALL COVERING CLOTH COMPRISING A SINGLE PLY OF WOVEN BASEFABRIC WHOSE WARP AND FILLER YARNS ARE SELECTED FROM THE GROUPCONSISTING OF: WOOL YARNS; SYNTHETIC YARNS; WOOL, SYNTHETIC AND COTTONYARNS; WOOL AND COTTON YARNS; AND SYNTHETIC AND COTTON YARNS; SAIDSINGLE PLY FABRIC BEING TIGHTLY WOVEN AND PROVIDING THEREBY ON ONE SIDEOF THE FABRIC A SMOOTH CLOSELY WOVEN SURFACE WHICH IS ADAPTED TO ADHERECLOSELY TO THE RUBBER CORE OF THE TENNIS BALL AND CONSTITUTES THE INSIDESURFACE OF SAID COVERING CLOTH ON THE BALL, THE OTHER SURFACE OF SAIDSINGLE PLY WOVEN FABRIC BEING NAPPED, NEEDLED AND THEREAFTER FULLED ANDFIRMLY MATTED, SAID FIRMLY MATTED OUTER SURFACE OF SAID SINGLE PLY WOVENFABRIC BEING RESISTANT TO WEAR AND HAVING A DENSE NAP.